Campus Microscopy and Imaging Facility (CMIF) is the core biomedical microscope facility on the campus of the Ohio State University. The CMIF obtained a Zeiss 510 META on an upright microscope with a S10 grant in 2004 and it has served as a workhorse for four years. The Zeiss is currently used more than 2400 hours per year and is reserved for at least a week in advance. The CMIF has just moved into the new ten storeys Biomedical Research Tower which will house 188 research scientists. While the Zeiss 510 continues to serve the CMIF, a second routine confocal microscope is needed to handle the increased usage. In this application six NIH funded investigators show how the Zeiss 510 has given them crucial data for their research. The instrument requested scanning laser system will be on an upright stand, with high numerical oil objectives, 405 nm diode laser, Argon laser, green HeNe, Red HeNe, three PMTs (no spectral detectors) and easy to use software. Demos on the Zeiss 510 and FV1000 showed these instruments to fit our needs. Because of the changes in this market at the time of submission (March 2008), we are requesting funds to purchase either a Zeiss or Olympus microscope and will make the decision as to manufacturer and model in a year, if the application is funded. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The microscope requested in this application will allow currently funded NIH researchers to perform their critical research. Some of the health issues addressed in this research include: neuromuscular disease, spinal cord injury, cancer, lung disease, and bone reabsorption disease.